Anna Melisano
(6-1) | 28 years old | Strawweight
You may have seen Anna Melisano’s handywork on social media earlier this week, where pictures of the gruesome gash she caused on her opponent went around. While picking up her third finish in a row, Melisano also claimed the Fury FC Strawweight Championship.
Melisano opened the fight right in the pocket with her boxing, sticking Amaro with long jabs and quick counters. While she ate some big punches during these exchanges, her willingness to stand and trade stood out among everything else. Although she stayed on the outside, her range management and ability to stay off the cage caused issues for Amaro, whose takedowns weren’t as effective in the middle of the cage. Melisano’s leg kicks also added up and started to cause damage in Round 2. While the exchanges remained back-and-forth, the damage started adding up and showing Amaro’s face.
In the opening seconds of Round 3, Melisano landed a short elbow that immediately opened a massive cut on Amaro’s forehead. The damage was immediately evident and forced an unsuccessful takedown attempt. As soon as Melisano realized the extent of the damage, she began applying pressure and targeting the wound. Amaro realized the extent of the damage and began applying pressure herself, although it was already too late. After landing three more elbows, the ref quickly stepped in and deemed the damage too much to continue. The severe gash on Amaro’s forehead and the massive amount of blood pouring out of her head and nose were a devastating visual. After dropping her pro debut, Melisano has won six straight and has more than proven her value as a promising prospect who can finish fights.
Lucas Rafael
(6-0) | 23 years old | Welterweight
A kickboxer who has bounced between MMA and kickboxing throughout his career, Lucas Rafael has racked up over 100 kickboxing matches while fighting 6 times in MMA. His latest win over 5-1 Maycon Jonnie improved his record to 6-0 while extending his finishing streak to four.
Rafael fended off early aggression from Jonnie with some big counters and solid clinch defense. After landing a takedown, the two stayed in a clinch on the cage before separating and trading kicks at range. Rafael’s body work was on full display, landing hooks up close and kicks at range. Another clinch exchange allowed Rafael to land an inside trip and fend off submissions while controlling until the end of the round.
While Jonnie continued to clinch in Round 2, Rafael was the one landing the takedowns. Once separated at range, Rafael landed a nasty body kick that led into a clean lead high kick, pushing his opponent back. When Jonnie pushed forward, he was met with a question mark kick and a pair of devastating body kicks, the impact echoing throughout the arena. After some shoulder strikes in the clinch, Rafael landed another takedown and quickly moved into mount. Jonnie rolled over and was flattened out on his back, giving Rafael the chance to put him away with GnP halfway into Round 2.
These three may be more worthy than some on my list; however, the lack of available footage on their fights kept them in the HM section:
(24-5) | 31 years old | Heavyweight
Ghassen Jbalia
(6-0) | 30 years old? | Featherweight
Temerlan Azizov
(5-0) | 28 years old | Flyweight